Green Cross Australia is a not for profit organisation who deliver digital projects that help people in practical ways adapt to our changing climate, embrace sustainable living and build resilient communities. Find out about our other projects…

Green Building Guide

Fitouts

As the old
adage goes reduce, reuse, recycle. When building and filling your
new home, recycled fit-outs not only help reduce the costs of a new
home but are also a good green option. New cupboards and fixtures,
bench tops, tiles, sinks and appliances all consume materials and
energy in their production, transportation and disposal.

One option is to buy a recycled kitchen or bathroom. As
homeowners update their homes, a market springs up for pre-loved
kitchens and bathrooms, many of them in excellent condition and
style, and a fraction of the price of a new kitchen. Pre-loved
fit-outs are worth considering if you are building a new home and
can design the room around your new pre-loved kitchen. Carpenters
can resize cupboards, bench tops - almost everything - and you can
on-sell any parts you can't use.

Unsurprisingly, online auction site eBay is a great resource
for pre-loved fit-outs. You can search for 'complete kitchens' or
'secondhand kitchens' to see the hundreds of options, and you can
sort by 'Distance: nearest first' to find kitchens closest to your
home. Other options like Gumtree and AdPost are worth investigating too.

A handful of companies in Australia specialise in pre-loved
kitchens. Secondhand
Kitchens list pre-loved kitchens for sale Australia-wide.
Homeowners with a kitchen to sell can list them as a classified ad,
upload images, dimensions and even YouTube walk-throughs to give
you a feel of the kitchen.

Remember to count in the cost of transportation and installation
of the kitchen into your final costs.